Calif. Gov. Facing Legislation to Block Landfill Along San Luis Rey River

A coalition of groups such as the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association and the Natural Resources Defense Council is urging California Gov. Jerry Brown to sign Senate Bill 833, legislation that would stop a proposed landfill from being built along a river, into law.

The location of the proposed landfill is in Gregory Canyon in northern San Diego County along the banks of the San Luis Rey River. The groups say building a landfill here would risk contaminating drinking water for local communities and desecrate sites considered sacred by local Indian tribes.

The San Luis Rey River is also one of the last naturally flowing rivers in southern California, and its aquifers are the source of drinking water for thousands of residents. The coalition said that despite the potential business the proposed dump would bring, protecting local water sources and sacred Indian sites should take precedence.